Turner track team: 'We make do'

Turner's Eddie Harmon checks his time as he crosses the finish line in the 800m run during the Ralph Halverson Northern C Divisional Track Meet two weeks ago at Memorial Stadium.(Photo: TRIBUNE PHOTO/RION SANDERS)Buy Photo

Officially, Turner is a "census-designated place" located 41 miles northeast of Chinook in Blaine County. The school website calls it "one of the smallest towns in District 9C."

Another website says Turner is "the town in the lower 48 that is farthest away from a major league baseball team."

Turner School has 19 more children (80) than than the town has total residents (61, according to the 2010 U.S. Census). And 19 kids attended Turner High School during the 2017-18 school term.

Last week, two members of the Turner Tornadoes boys' track and field team — seniors Eddie Harmon and Cody Welsh — collected three gold medals at the combined Class AA-C State Track Meet on the all-weather track at Great Falls' Memorial Stadium.

The track team is now responsible for all four of the state championships in any sport amassed by the Tornadoes in the 82-year history of the school. Harmon, who successfully defended his state title in the boys' 800 meters last week, has three of them.

Yet, it was a new school record (46.93 seconds) in the 4-by-100 meter boys' relay that meant more, since it was a total team effort. In addition to the two seniors, junior Clayton Krass and sophomore Jack Harmon (Eddie's brother) made up the four-member Tornado track squad.

"People look at our track and they wonder how they did it," Turner superintendent Russ McKenna said.

The high school track in Turner. A Blaine County road grader smooths out the tire tracks and dirt clumps once a year.(Photo: RUSS McKENNA, TURNER SCHOOL)

After winning the 400 meters at the Northern C Divisional meet two weeks ago, Eddie Harmon talked about the difference between Memorial Stadium's brand-new track — which had been laid less than two weeks earlier — and Turner's practice track: "It's a lot better than the rocks and gopher holes I have to run on back home."

It was during that Northern C meet that the Tornadoes earned their very first trophy of ANY TYPE, placing third. They were fourth at state, just missing the hardware after Seeley-Swan's win in the 4-by-400 meter relay edged Turner out of the trophy hunt.

"That home track has given us four state champions," Turner track coach Brenda Mohar said. "But that new school record in the 4-by-100 means just as much as a state title."

The high jump pit at the Turner High School track. The padding consists of donated horse trailer mats.(Photo: RUSS McKENNA, TURNER PUBLIC SCHOOL)

It is a track that can be rendered unusable at the slightest provocation. Some kids like to drive their cars on the track. Rain can turn the surface into a mud bog.

"The track gets graded once a year," Mohar said, adding that a Blaine County road grader does the honors. "But when the track is muddy, we have to practice on the streets of Turner."

There aren't that many streets, and only two of them are paved: Main Street, and Secondary Highway 241 on the south edge of town.

Mohar, who returned to coach the team this season after a three-year absence, said it is what it is.

"We have no sand in our long jump/triple jump pit, so we have a young man here in town come over and rototill the pit on a regular basis," Mohar said. "And the runway for the high jump pit is made up of donated horse trailer mats.

"The community came out and poured a 4 foot-by-4 foot concrete pad, and we use that for shot put and discus practice."

And the grass ... well, actor Danny DeVito could get lost in it.

"We make do with what we have to work with," Mohar added. "But overcoming those obstacles is what has given these guys their heart and determination, and it helps a lot to see their success."

ALL-SPORTS CORRECTION: I've been known to make a mistake or two in my life (I've been married three times ... enough said).

So I wasn't surprised when someone from Shelby pointed out that I neglected to give the Coyotes the 15 points they earned for finishing second in Class B boys' basketball this past school year.

This gave them 54 points and put them into a five-way tie for 14th place on the final count, making them the area school with the highest point count.

As always, the Tribune regrets all mistakes and strives to correct those mistakes as quickly as possible. If you see a mistake, feel free to email us at tribsports@greatfallstribune.com.

Tribune Sports Writer Lee Vernoy compiles the Prep Notebook for publication every Thursday during the high school sports season. The column will return in late August.